Why roast coffee at home?

There’s a lot of reasons for and against roasting green coffee beans at home, and ultimately it’s a personal preference. Here’s some things to consider.

1. Freshness

Coffee Beans are best between eighteen hours and about a week and a half old. Roasting yourself ensures that you can hit this peak – and you know when they were roasted. Some coffees break this general ideal. Some will reach their peak quality as much as three to four days after roasting but you have to way to judge this unless you are roasting your own.

Green coffee beans last much longer in storage than roasted coffee beans, meaning you can buy larger quantities at a time and get better discounts than buying pre-roasted coffee.

2. Choice

Green coffee beans last for several months to a year or more
– so you can stock several varieties and choose what you want
when you want. You can roast as little as 3 ounces (depending on
your roaster) so you are not stuck with half a pound of the same
bean to drink in a fortnight. This is particularly useful when
you want to try home blending or cupping and want small
quantities of several beans.

You also have greater control, knowing which coffee beans are going into your own custom blends and have a better idea of how much caffeine is in your cup.

3. Experience

Home roasting makes it easier to understand the flavors and varieties available around the world. While it’s best to start out with less expensive coffee beans to master your craft, ultimately you’ll want to wander into the best coffees in the world and really learn to experience the subtleties. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between an Arabica and Robusta coffee, home roasting will define that very quickly.

If you don’t enjoy roasting and experimenting or live in a house
or apartment without sufficient means to vent the smoke and
chaff – then home roasting might not be for you.